The Mobil Gas station and car wash will close Monday, August 12 and demolition will begin the next day.

Mesa Development announced the timeline last week for work on the McMobil site, 1300 E. 53rd Street, soon to become Vue53, a 13-story retail and residential development.

According to a press release from Mesa Development, demolition will begin Aug. 13. Hyde Parkers can expect to see a fence around the site as the gas station’s underground tanks are removed Aug. 14 and 15.

Mesa said that work would begin after 8 a.m. each day, as mandated by a city ordinance.

The release from Mesa said that an environmental engineering firm will supervise the contractor doing the work while tanks are being removed, and developers have repeatedly said that they would follow necessary environmental guidelines.

A vice president at the development company was not able to provide the name of the environmental firm by press time.

Construction of the new retail and housing development is set to begin in early 2014.

From the LETTERS Page

"Dreams of two separate owners swooping in to buy each of these houses and then spending what might well be $1 million each in renovations in addition to the purchase price are not likely to come true."From "B&B proposals a practical choice"

"At the meeting, we could not even discuss how the bed-and-breakfast would be operationalized because the vast majority of attendees at the meeting did not want a bed-and-breakfast under any circumstance."From "Ald. Burns explains B&B decision"

"The university has invested a great deal in Harper Court and 53rd Street to help attract amenities, create jobs and support new business opportunities. As neighbors, we are committed to seeing Hyde Park flourish, now and in the future."From "Clearing the air on Harper Court"